Usk has won the Wales in Bloom 'Large Villages' category for the 31st consecutive year.

It was one of only two Gold Awards made and the mark of 182 from a possible 200 was the highest of all the entries in classes 1-8.

Tony Kear, chairman of Usk in Bloom, described it as 'a remarkable achievement' and said everyone involved was thrilled with the news.

Tony, who has lived in Usk all his life and is a former town mayor said: "The theme this year was 'Jubilee' but, because we thought red, white and blue colour schemes would be very popular, we decided to use the alternative Royal colour of purple.

"The displays, in purple, white and yellow, were also linked with the 30th anniversary of our winning Wales in Bloom for the first time and with the 30th Olympiad."

Usk's mayoral robes, unusually, are also purple. The current mayor Christine Wilkinson has nominated Usk in Bloom as one of her funding recipients.

"Usk in Bloom was started by a group of individuals who wanted to make the town a better place. Now it's justifiably earned Usk the name 'Town of Flowers'," said Tony.

"It's become a 'virtual' business. It brings in a lot of visitors and it enhances the town and the value of properties for its residents."

He added: "Wales in Bloom, founded by the Royal Horticultural Society, is nowadays about a lot more than just flowers. It's about community life and the environment, about working together, using sustainable planting to reduce our carbon footprint and so on. All this is very much in keeping with our own aims and objectives."